My west coast brother informed me that, on this date in 1911, the painting "Mona Lisa" was stolen. It was recovered a little bit over two years later and the thief was sentenced to less than 8 months in prison. That seems to me a very small penalty for stealing something as rare and amazing as the Mona Lisa.
It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the years 1503-1519. He worked on it, carrying it with him to various other assignments, during all those years, adding minute details and layer after layer of translucent paint. It's no wonder she's so beautiful.
In case you're wondering what else he painted, he painted "The Last Supper" between 1495 and 1498. You've probably heard of that. I have seen it and it's quite amazing. In addition to being a great painter Leonardo was an inventor. The last time I was in Italy we were taken to a museum where many of the inventions he had drawn had actually been constructed. It was fascinating to see the collection. He was truly a Renaissance man. But you can read all of the books about him on your own time.
What I really wondered about today was why the thief who stole the painting from the Louvre in1911 didn't get a longer sentence. He actually kept the painting hidden in his apartment for two years and the well publicized hunt for it made the painting famous. He was arrested when he finally tried to sell the painting. The reason he gave for stealing the painting was that it was painted by an Italian artist and the thief, who was Italian, wanted to return it to Italy. Evidently the French saw this as an act of patriotism and so didn't give him a harsh punishment. I'm sure it also helped that the painting hadn't been damaged.
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